Home/How to Survive in a Good Small Guild/ch 87

Chapter 87

At the boastful remark, my eyes widened.

"What kind of...?"

"Senior Staff Cedric, are you also interested in the Temple?"

"Ah, I, I was just asking."

Unlike Cedric, I needed any information about the Temple.

"I thought the Temple had its own in-house experts. I didn't know they outsourced."

When I deliberately said it in a casual tone, the old man, feeling boastful, continued.

"I'm the best in the capital."

"What kind of relics does the Temple have appraised?"

"Oh, that's a secret—I can't say."

"Things like scriptures, perhaps?"

"Ah, no, not that."

Fortunately, the old man was quite talkative.

"The Temple doesn't sell relics—they buy them. They buy up expensive relics."

"Really? That's interesting."

The old man didn't say more, but I made a mental note that the Temple was buying relics. Those relics must be used somewhere.

"Ah, it's done."

The old man, who'd been waiting after dropping a reagent on the chalice, handed it back to us.

"You can't sell this. It's only a few decades old."

"That means..."

"It's not an ancient relic—it's a replica."

"Hooray!"

"Thank goodness!"

When Cedric and I rejoiced, the old man looked at us with a bewildered expression.

"People are usually disappointed."

"Ahaha, that's not the case here."

"Guild Master, I'm glad things worked out."

"It's all thanks to you, Cedric."

As we laughed together, the old man, who'd been staring at us, spoke.

"By the way, young man, are you selling that watch?"

"...Excuse me?"

"It's an expensive watch. I know what I'm looking at. Where did you get the money to wear something that pricey?"

My gaze turned to the watch Cedric always wore.

That was expensive? It didn't look it. The leather strap was worn out...

While I was puzzled, the old man continued.

"No matter how worn it is, I know that precision watchmaking craftsmanship. It must have been made by a master craftsman... mmph!"

"C-Cedric?"

Cedric had covered the old man's mouth and stammered an excuse.

"Th-this watch is indeed expensive. I received it from my father."

"I see... But now could you take your hand off his mouth..."

"Ah, yes. Ahem, anyway, it may be expensive, but it's of little significance to me."

It seemed Cedric had some painful past too. He'd said he lived apart from his parents, so maybe he didn't have a good relationship with his family.

"Don't worry, Cedric. I understand."

When I looked at him with sympathetic eyes, the old man rubbed his mouth and grumbled.

"What are you doing in front of me? Damn it, no matter how I look at it, you're suspicious..."

"You're mistaken."

"Sigh... that guy's hiding something too."

The old man complained about Cedric, but to me, it just seemed like he didn't like him.

Regardless of what the old man said, I looked at Cedric with a happy face.

"Anyway, Cedric, the problem's solved!"

"Yes, this isn't an Aion Kingdom relic!"

"Now we can resume construction!"

---

After telling the construction workers they could resume work, I returned home.

"I'm really glad Cedric joined our guild."

He showed signs of Stockholm Syndrome or excessive love for the guild, had a strange obsession with justice, and sometimes acted with poor judgment...

But still, it was clear that Cedric was more devoted to this guild than anyone. When he first joined, I'd been worried, but now he was someone I could trust more than anyone.

Thinking about what to do with my free time at home, I decided to contact Cedrian after a long while.

I'd learned today that the Temple was buying relics, so I should report that fact.

"Hello, this is Odrette Lavendel."

When I called him, Cedrian's voice came through shortly.

-What can I do for you?

"Why are you speaking formally all of a sudden?"

-Ahem, I got confused for a moment. What's going on?

His tone earlier had seemed familiar somehow, but I got to the point.

"Ah, I happened to learn something about the Temple today. Apparently, the Temple collects ancient relics. I don't know what they're used for."

-I see. That's certainly important information.

"I contacted you in case there's something I should do."

-Something to do. Hmm...

Cedrian seemed to think for a moment, then said.

-It would be good to find out why the Temple is collecting ancient relics.

"Yes."

-How about we investigate together? If you have time.

"I can do that. But where should we look for information?"

-The ancient relics the Temple has taken were likely items that weren't state-owned and were either illegally circulated or stolen. So we could check the museums to see if any relics have gone missing recently. The museum director would also know the flow of relics.

"Okay, let's do that."

After making plans with Cedrian, I considered what to wear to the museum. Oh dear, I should buy some clothes soon. All I had were suit-style dresses.

Come to think of it, I'd gone to the art museum with Cedric last time, and now I was going to the museum with Cedrian. Cedric had said he visited museums often too...

Oh, when I put their names side by side, they sounded a bit similar. Well, all the names in this world felt similar to me anyway.

Ah, I seemed to be thinking about my subordinate too much on my day off. At this rate, I might be diagnosed with Stockholm Syndrome too.

I pushed Cedric out of my mind and started picking out clothes for tomorrow.

---

"Hello, Mr. Rian."

"Yes, it's been a while. ...That's the first time I've seen you in that outfit."

Since I had so few clothes to wear, I'd ended up shopping.

I wasn't interested in expensive clothes, so I bought modest ones, but shopping for the first time in a while with the money I'd earned felt good.

When Cedrian stared at me, I felt a bit shy. Was my outfit too flashy for a discreet visit?

"Should I change into something darker?"

"No, this is fine. It suits you."

"Okay."

I glanced at the city museum behind me. It wasn't as crowded as the Royal Art Museum I'd visited with Cedric, but there were still quite a few adults with children.

"Shall we go in?"

"Yes."

We entered the city museum. Cedrian said to the desk staff.

"I have an appointment with the director."

"Ah, yes!"

He must have arranged it beforehand, as we were soon face-to-face with the director in his office.

"Your Highness, what brings you here..."

The director asked cautiously, glancing at Cedrian, who answered calmly.

"Have any items been stolen from here?"

"Huff! N-no!"

"I'm not here to blame you. I'm actually investigating the theft of relics."

"Well..."

The director hesitated, then spoke.

"One relic from the storage room was stolen, but aside from that, nothing else has been stolen recently..."

"Really? What kind of relic?"

"It wasn't highly valued. A sword from the Lek Kingdom."

"Not highly valued. Anything unusual about it?"

"No, it's considered just one of many ordinary swords, but..."

The director seemed deflated, but we were a bit disappointed, having expected a more significant relic.

"I-if you need, I can provide a list of relics stolen from other places too. I know that area thoroughly..."

"I'd like to hear everything you know."

Seeing this as a chance to escape the situation, the director quickly recited the relics.

"Armor from the Aion Kingdom, silk from the Lek Kingdom, books from the Soka people..."

But with no knowledge of this world's history, it was all unfamiliar to me.

"Is there any common thread?"

I asked, but both the director and Cedrian shook their heads.

"It's assumed they were just easy targets."

"I don't see any commonality either. Do you know where those relics ended up?"

"That's not my area of expertise, so I'm not sure..."

Hmm, why was the Temple collecting relics...?

I stared intently at the list of relics the director had written down. Of course, with no historical knowledge, I couldn't find an answer...

"Huh? Wait a minute."

I narrowed my eyes. I felt like I was seeing something.

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